possibility of a joe momentum? >> one of of the reasons they chose joe biden is because he won every debate in the primary. he's very experienced. he's been doing this for a long time. david axelrod commandeered perhaps, but they're taking it seriously. >> a week after what most describe as a debating disaster, president obama's talking about why he lost round one. >> that debate, what happened? >> well, governor romney had a good night. i had a bad night. >> how bad? >> well, it's not the first time i've had a bad night, but i think what's important is that the fundamentals of what this race is about haven't changed. >> one debate down. the vp showdown just hours away. a new poll today shows mitt romney makes gains in three key swing states. romney flips the script in virginia, now leading by one

point. the fight for florida is a statistical dead heat. and romney has narrowed the gap this ohio, although the buckeye state, what every republican needs to win the white house, is still solidly in obama's corner. >> this is the conversation we were having before both conventions. so almost as everything has been erased. >> i think it accounts for the hemorrhaging that they let romney back in. >> joining me now is ed schultz host of the ed show. and let's start with this. congressman ryan as well as the chairman both trying to set the stage for tonight. let's listen. >> joe biden's been on will stage many times before. this is my first time. so, sure, it's a nervous situation. because joe biden is one of the most experienced debaters we have in modern politics.

>> this is miss firhis first ti. joe biden's been doing this since the 1800s. he'll do a solid job. >> so when you listen to this, the base was pretty upset last night. you were quite passionate after the debate. will biden bring the old meat ax tonight? >> i don't think vice president biden will win or lose the election tonight, but he can reset the tone. hear's what joe biden has to do. forget paul ryan. it's the agenda. it's who these people are and what they want to do to this country. and there's nobody more equipped to step to the plate for the democrats than joe biden who knows the agenda of the democrats and the progressive movement in this country. where does paul ryan stand on his own budget that was passed twice? think about paul ryan. he has to go to the plate tonight and take a swing at trying to knock it out of the park when the plan that he put

forward for america does not poll in the majority. he has to make the case to the american people tonight that his plan is best for america where it doesn't poll anywhere pol positively. so i think the vice president has to make sure that they don't miss opportunities. >> does he bring the heat on every issue, does he bring the heat on the 47%. >> don't be ofafraid to say 31 months of private jobs growth is great for america considering where we were and these folks want it take us back to deregulation, giving more tax breaks to the wealthiest americans. this is right in the wheel house of joe bbiden. the fact that they're down playing the fact of how much debate experience paul ryan has is just window dressing.

i've seen joe biden so many times on the stump in person, he stands up, he gets riled up. this will be a little bit more controlled and i think a lot more centered to the facts. but expect paul ryan to come out and lie just as much as mitt romney did last week. that's what i expect. >> the swing voters as well as the base, to they expect more about substance or style? >> first of all, no one in this country has made the case that vice president joe biden has done a bad job. the country knows who this man is. they know his background, they know he didn't go to the united states senate to be a millionaire. he went there to work on behalf of the people. so there's a lot of people that will expect a lot out of joe biden because they know who he is. but he'll be presenting the case that where we were and where we're going is great for america. and there is absolutely no question that if the chairman of the house budget committee, if he's all about numbers, he's not

going to be able to deny what skr joe biden will say tonight. >> will we see a lot of zingers? >> what's a zinger, a fact? a fact of what the country wants, a fact of what we've been able to accomplish, the automobile loan? yesterday on the stump, paul ryan was trying to make the case that they're for the automobile industry. really? did you forget about the bankruptcy editorial that was put out by his by on top of the ticket? i mean, look, there are so many contradictions and where the republicans are right now, the tea party, this is a tea party residual. they have created an identity crisis for the republican party and the only way they know how to handle it is lie to the american people. >> ed schultz, thanks for coming in today. >> it will be fun. >> it is. we'll all be very busy without a lot of sleep. and you can catch ed later tonight for our special coverage of the debate. let's bring in our political power panel.

perry bacon, tadd devine, jackie gingrich kushman. today is debate day just as exciting as last wednesday. in advantage of the show, we asked for you debate advice for both candidates. here is what your advice for the vice president was. you said attack romney's plans with veracity, defend the obama record and pivot to the future and contrast the roads that lie ahead. what does biden need to do to offset the recent pihiccups? >> i think he has a great opportunity to be the circuit breaker. the president's performance was disappointing last week. the job numbers were good. but now he can break the circuit and re-energize the democratic

base. i meant to say attack romney's plans and veracity because one of the topics will be whether or not governor romney last week told the truth to the american people. i think the vice president's in a great position to point out how little truth governor romney told. >> and when we look at social media, those doing the fact checking say president obama actually won because that's their perception based on the drought come of some of the fact checks out there. perry, a big criticism after the last debate was that the president did not fact check romney effectively on the stage itself specifically. now, this time we've already seen the obama/biden campaign trying to start to ramp up its response machine ahead of the debate. there's the pre-debate web video titleded paul ryan and his many methods of misrepresentation. they've created a new witness twitter handle solely for rapid response after we see the responses in tonight's debate. so do you see biden passionately taking on ryan on his

statements? >> absolutely. i think after last week, the president looked a little surprised at times when romney said, no, i don't have a $5 trillion tax cut despite the evidence that he does. i think that biden is really prepared for this and will be aggressive on that tax plan pressing ryan for details. i also think one of the factors to keep in mind, i think the moderator martha raddatz will be thinking about those things, too, and press ryan on those specific details, as well. >> you're there in danville. speaking of which also there is paul ryan, you see the video we're just getting in of him arriving at the location to preview what is on the stage. and speaking of which, jackie, paul ryans as you have seen in the past, a very good debater when it comes to the issues of medicare, of his budget plan and that video just coming in and out. so it may not be contiguous. when we do lock ok at paul ryan

he's no slouch. he does not get flustered. >> no, he's a very smart guy. he spent a lot of time working and looking at the numbers. and he'll be really good at talking about plans and what can happen. and also i think what he will be able to do is bring up the facts. i'm going to talk about facts not just about the future, but where we are and where we could go. if you look at the un34r0i789 rate, the reason it's down is because we've had 2% of the population dropping out of the workforce. they're in longer counted because they're so discouraged they don't want to go look for a job. over 5 million people that won't look for a job. >> so that will be a point that he'll try to make. but there's also this. a new pew poll shows that the majority of americans exact ryan to outperform or do better tonight. only 34% feel that joe biden. so is really expectation more on

paul ryan more than joe biden contrary to what has been discussed so far? >> i think it will be interesting to see what happens. a lot of this happens in the moment. it all depends about the chemistry between them and the moderate to have, the audience, how the questions go and what's most important is for both those gentlemen to really be in the moment to really think about their answers, and to make sure they getting across specific points that they want to getting across. >> again, watching the live pictures -- rather the tape that just came in of paul ryan arriving at the location. i want to pivot to the polls. when we look at those numbers, this new round of polling showing that the president falling short of that 50% marker that so many watch specifically in florida and virginia. and democrats, their enthusiasm already seems to be suffering in the wake of last week. what will numbers under 50 do to the enthusiasm surrounding tonight's debate as well as an incumbent candidate?

>> well, i actually think the most recent wave of battleground opposes very good for the president. first, ohio, a state governor romney must have, the president's maintained a solid lead. early vote there is going very well for the president. fwla ahe florida, that's encouraging. so i think if you look at the three states, if we had an election dark the president would win all three and there is no way for mitt romney to win 270 electoral votes without at least two of those states. so i think these most recent battleground polls are very encouraging for the president. >> romney picking up the 3 1/2 points with the post debate bump. we'll see what happens tonight. 26 days in front of us. thank you so much to our power panel today. as the number twos prepare

to debate, where are the tops today? president obama will hold a rally at the university of miami. the president's fifth straight event at a college campus in the last week. while mitt romney campaigns tonight in asheville, north carolina. ahead, the obama campaign is hitting hard against an apparent romney flip-flop on abortion. will women's issues loom large in tonight's debate? we'll talk with debbie wasserman schultz. and do you think tonight's debate will change the momentum of the race? tweet me your thoughts.

this has been my life's work is talking about what's happening to america's middle class and let's face it, america's middle class has been getting hammered. >> then i suggest you put down the hammer because it's your regulations and your policies that will be hurting -- >> and that wasn't the only time last night. massachusetts gop senator scott brown and challenger elizabeth wash trading jabs last night. that's an example of one high stakes senate race that could reshape the balance of power in the u.s. chamber. right now the dems have a 53-47 vote advantage. 33 seats are up for re-election, but on the national map, it's only about a dozen battleground states that are really in play. joining me now from danville,

kentucky is mark in your murray. no clear winner, so what are you seeing? >> this is a pure toss up contest. not only is it probably the nastiest senate race in the country, it's maybe a pure 50/50 race. and it does impact the control for the senate. democrats, republicans, if they'll take control of the senate, need to pick up four senate seats. that's assuming president obama wins re-election. three if president obama ends up losing. and that massachusetts case is key because it jumps those three and four numbers to four and five makes it harder for republicans to take control. >> the poll numbers have been tightening. also here, mark, another post watched senate race in the u.s. right now, that's missouri's claire mccaskill against todd akin featuring rape victims. let's take a look at a clip. >> i'm a and a pro-life mother

and rape survival. in the hospital, i was offered emergency contraception because of my personal beliefs, i declined. here's what else i believe. no woman should be denied that choice. what todd akin said is offensive. i've never voted for claire mccaskill, but because of todd akin, i will now. >> so how does akin answer to that? >> it's very hard. the good news for todd akin is that missouri is a purchase leaning state, it has been for the last few years. and so if he gets all the republicans to be able to vote for him, he could end up winning. the problem is that controversial legitimate rape comment that he gave back in august would probably peel away some republican women, some independent women that would end up giving claire mccaskill the advantage precisely the person featured in that ad. >> and back to the issue in the balance of power. our new polls out today on the senate races in florida, ohio,

and virginia, when we look at the difficulties that democrats look to be facing coming in to november 6th, things have sort of shifted. what are you finding in those polls with regard to those three races? >> the polls are pretty good news for democrats. in the florida senate contest, you have the democrat bill nelson leading by 13 percentage points over his challenger. in ohio, democratic incumbent sherrod brown has an 11 point advantage over his republican challenger john mandel. 52% for 41%. but in virginia, boy, that's a close contest. you have tim kaine, george allen. that might be your closest contest come november 6th. >> all eyes on virginia. mark murray, thank you so much. our senior political editor. it's a big question going into tonight's vice presidential debate. where does mitt romney stand on

abortion some debbie wasserman schultz joins us live. and congressman paul ryan working it out ahead of tonight's showdown in danville. will he be a match for joe biden's mental muscle is more of the questions. a chat on how both are prepping in the final hours. a fashion marketplace helps local boutiques that don't have their own e-commerce sites sell on line. she knows content sells, so she launched a companion online magazine. for more, watch your business sunday mornings at 7:30 on msnbc. so anyway, i've been to a lot of places.

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issue, the president seized on that moment, accusing romney of flip-flopping. >> this is another example of governor romney hiding positions he'd been campaigning on for a year and a half. >> joining me now debbie wasserman schultz, chair of the democrat being national committee and very good day to you. >> good day to you, too. thank you. >> let's start with this. your gop counterpart reince priebus this morning. >> the fact of the matter is that mitt romney has been absolutely 100% consistent on this issue. >> so how do you answer those who say democrats are just trying to create of course city and leverage this as the final 126 days of the election as they go forward? >> my gosh, it's hard to answer it without laughing. i mean, really, and i agree with president obama and the clip you just laid. and i'll add that this is not an evolution. this is not a flip-flop as you

characterized it. what mitt romney and paul ryan are doing is trying to hide their positions. they're trying to be deceptive and deceitful. because i think what they realized after a convention that was pretty disastrous for them, where it was clear their positions were headed nowhere in terms of their success, now what they've tried to do is hide their true positions on prohi t prohibiting insurance companies from dropping people or denying them coverage for pre-existing conditions, on the fact that they have a $5 trillion tax cut plan that would increase taxes on the middle class, on the fact that when it comes to medicare, they sled the health care safety net and turn it into a voucher system. and their plan does effect seniors. so they're trying to hide their positions and hope the people don't notice. >> do you expect vice president biden to try to parse the can i have difference stdifferences?

because the two have different views, that is that ryan is more conservative when it comes to these issues. >> i expect vice president biden will be very clear about the stark and clear contrasts between the two directions that we can go. the question whether paul ryan after giving one of the most deceptive convention speeches no n. modern history, is he going to continue that deception and lie about the fact that he and mitt romney have a tax cut plan, $5 trillion that would increase the average middle class family's tax bill by $2,000 in any objective analysis. will he own up to the fact that him and romney have a plan that ends medicare as we know it and turns it into a voucher system and increase his premiums for seniors by more than $6,000. those are questions that we'll see if he's going to be honest

tonight. he hasn't been thus far. >> and also, congresswoman, obama leads by 12% to 13% with women in the latest battle ground polls. this is about the same as 2000 #. 2002008. do you see it widening with the latest comments? >> i think the latest admission from mitt romney that he's trying to hide his true positions and hide the ball on women's health, that he is the most extreme candidate for president for women's reproductive health in anyone's memory, that is part of the reason why obama and biden enjoy overwhelming support from women, whether it's investing in education, or making sure that -- >> but whether ill it widen the?

? yes, it will, because women know that they don't want government in their bedroom.>? yes, it will, because women know that they don't want government in their bedroom.>? yes, it will, because women know that they don't want government in their bedroom. ? yes, it will, because women know that they don't want government in their bedroom.yes, it will, w that they don't want government in their bedroom.yes, it will, know that they don't want government in their bedroom. and mitt romney will sign a total ban on abortion if september to his desk. so there's a real gulf between the republicans and the democrats for women. . >> on the flip side, blit company said the one they don't want to see in terms of which biden shows up is the one prone to veer off message badly, freelance or talk out of his hat. they also quoted democratic aides who compared the vice president to cracker jacks. you never know what prize you'll get when you open the box. which one will show up, what do

you think? >> vice president biden will show up with the clear voice he's always been. because he articulates what's important about making sure that we continue to fight for the middle class and working families. he'll make the clear case that the obama administration has brought us from the worst economic crisis we've faced since the great depression as a result of failed policies of the past forward 31 straight months of job growth and that we need to continue to have president obama and he in office so that they can continue to get the economy turned around and create jobs and move forward rather than what paul ryan and mitt romney have proposed, which is to take us back to policies that crashed our economy, that -- here's the bottom line. american voters the next 26 days will have a choice and joe biden will make this case. do we want to go back to a window of time like those under president clinton when we had the longest sustained prosperity as a result of middle class

focused economic policies or do we want policies like those during the bush era that focused on tax breaks for the wealthiest and almost no regulation. i think the choice is clear. >> 9 hours, 30 minutes, you and i whether be watching along with most americans. thank you so much for your time today. >> thank you. it's a high stakes debate between paul ryan and joe biden. what it will take to win. we'll hear from alan schroeder. there the debate change the momentum of the race? that's the question. tweet me your thoughts. oh no, not a migraine now.

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i usually say that. all eyes on kentucky as biden confronts paul ryan. the vice presidential debate has become far more important after president obama's flat performance last week. for biden who you see leaving delaware right here, this is a familiar stairer to and the kind of pressure he has faced before. most recently against sarah palin four years ago. for ryan seen here arriving for a walk through of the debate stage, it's a chance to pick up where mitt romney left off, though it comes with a great deal of risk against a cage any veteran. carrie dan has been following the vice president and ron mott has been keeping tabs on paul ryan. carrie, we'll start with you. we know the pressure is

something the vice president has faced before and that brings us back to 2008. but is that a concern for him going into tonight? >> we know joe biden talked to the president the day after the president president's debate. and he knows what the stakes are going into this debate tonight. now, remember four years ago, he was against sarah palin. he mostly wanted an even perform arranges not to make any verb miss cues. and that was something that a lot of observers thought he did really well.and that was someth lot of observers thought he did really well. he did at least one mock debate every night of this debate camp that he was in with chris van holland and he also had a little bit of time with family. last night we can report that the last supper before coming to kentucky, he and his family made lasagna including his grandson,

hunter. so a bit light hearted night. >> love lasagna. being human there, the vice president. over to ron. we've seen photos of paul ryan working out, those just came out. this has to ad color to tonight's proceedings as we get ready for them. >> absolutely. that photo shoot was actually last december and it's been put back online. but tonight he'll have to fight different muscles here. he's going up against a much more experienced kacandidate. they know their guy is outmatched in terms of national debates. he's never done one. so i'm sure he may have a butterfly or two. but over the past few days, he seems very relaxed. he seems ready to go. yesterday before we came up here from florida, he stopped in, got a big old cup full of ice cream and you know how much he works out, so i'd imagine this morning he had a pretty intense workout.

so he may come in just as fired up as vice president biden. paul ryan does expect biden to come at him like a cannon ball. >> thank you so much both of you. you know the difference between winning and losing can often be razor thin. it can come to a sigh or single biting remark. to the voters it may appear random, but to political observer, it's considered something of an art. alan schroeder is a presidential his to historian. alan, thanks for being with us. and it is an art. can you recall a vice presidential debate that has had as much riding on it as this one seems to have? i think back to 2008. >> 2008 was the most watched vice presidential debate in history.

i'm not sure we'll see something quite as dramatic as that this time. frankly people were tuning in for her. but i think given the way that the first debate played out, there will be a heightened -- >> does vice president biden have to walk a fine line tonight, will he have to be tough yet at the same time he has to be not too aggressive? >> well, yes. i think that'ses always a danger in these debates is finding that exact sweet spot between too aggressive and not aggressive enough. obviously obama was not aggressive enough. so i think that puts a little extra pressure on biden to come through with the goods against ryan. but ryan is less experienced, so biden doesn't want to look like he's scolding some young upstart. >> alan, 1984, vice president bush walking in to a bit of a trap in a debate with geraldine

ferraro. >> let me help you with the difference between iran and the embassy in lebanon. >> let me just say, first of all, that i almost resent vice president bush your patronizing attitude that you have to teach me about foreign policy. >> and then we have the issue the wise and experienced states man like dick cheney, that's the role he took on against john edwards in '04 slamming edwards for his record in the senate. >> the first time i ever met you was when you walked on this stage tonight. >> so when we look at this, how careful does biden have to be in his tone with paul ryan? >> he better not do what dick cheney did did. because pictures surfaced that of course he had met him previously. but, yeah, this idea of how you treat your opponent is a very interesting aspect of presidential debates.

you have such analal contrast. but biden is not exactly sarah palin when it comes to his knowledge base. so i think it gives biden a little more room for maneuver. >> who comes out on top today? >> you know what, i can't predict. i got out of that business a long time ago go. >> we tried. and of course you can watch tonight at 9:00 p.m. coverage starts at 8:00. we asked you, do you think tonight's debate will change the momentum of the race? here's how some of you answered. "actually the momentum has already started shifting back to obama, so a biden win will accelerate." and pie deny will move the needle toward democratic momentum, effectively teeing it up for obama. i have a cold, and i took nyquil,

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another new round of battleground polling again that this is a very tight race right down to the remaining four weeks.

and this round from cbs quinnipiac and the "new york times" shows the president may be leading where it counts most, issues important to the middle class. joining me now is peter brown. thanks for joining us. >> my pleasure. >> voters are were asked who cares more about the needs of people like you and the president leads in all three states, colorado, virginia, and wisconsin. the preference for the president is small in colorado, with you still president. are romney's recent beefed up efforts as we see him try to be more folksy, if you will, to woo the middle qulas, is that not working? >> it seems to be working a little bit. throughout the campaign, the president has scored much better on person about al qualities than has mr. romney. the pattern since mr. romney won the nomination has been he was able to compete on the issue of the economy, but on a host of other issues and a host of personal characteristics, the president was ahead. and that has helped him stay

ahead in the horse race polls. what you've seen since the first debate obviously is in some plac places, in colorado, wisconsin, the president's margin has come town a bit. in virginia, it stayed the same. the reason why virginia is so much better for the president is the economy is so much better in virginia than it is in much of the rest of the country. the unemployment rate in virginia is less than 6%. so it's tougher for mr. romney to come into virginia and say things aren't good and it's barack obama's fault when in fact things in virginia are pretty good. >> also here president obama maintains significant leads over mr. romney on the issue of trust and honesty. governor romney is behind on that in colorado and wisconsin and hits just 46% in virginia. and based on those numbers when you've looked at that, is that the key for the obama campaign here, to hammer on issues of honesty? >> clearly the talking points from the obama campaign are trying to impune the integrity

of mr. romney and mr. ryan going in to tonight's debate, trying to tell voters what they say on television isn't what they're saying in other places. if that's effective, that will certainly hamper the romney effort to come back. it's an important measure, but not necessarily the most important. most importantly, the economy that really is very important. >> and we'll see how sole lid t solid the gains are after the next round of polls. suffolk university who also does rounds of polling, they decided to stop polling in virginia and florida because they already believe they're leaning towards romney. what do you make of that? >> i don't talk about other polls, but we're still polling in the states that we had planned on polling all along and virginia and florida are those states. >> and you'll keep on going. >> we expect to keep on going, yes. >> peter brown, thank you so much for joining us today.

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meningitis outbreak or for a good time evidently. rick scott accidently promoted an adult sex line when giving out the department of health's number. when people called it, they heard a young female voice saying hello, boys, thank you for calling me on my anniversary. he later corrected the mistake. hi, i'm phil mickelson. i've been fortunate to win on golf's biggest stages. but when joint pain and stiffness from psoriatic arthritis hit, even the smallest things became difficult. i finally understood what serious joint pain is like. i talked to my rheumatologist and he prescribed enbrel. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, and stop joint damage. because enbrel, etanercept, suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis

and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. [ phil ] get back to the things that matter most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ doctor ] enbrel, the number one biolog medicine prescribed by rheumatologists.

today mark as big moment in american lgbt history. 25th anniversary of national coming out day. on this date in 1988500,000 people marched in washington, d.c. for gay rights that inspired organizes are to make an annual event for citizens to speak out and support each other. another example of that support is the award-winning it gets better project where people post videos online and share personal

stories of support for bullied lgbt youth. >> i'm not going to let anyone tell me it's wrong and i'm gross. i'm not going to let people say that. >> i am who i am. you don't have to like me. yo just have to accept me. >> we don't deserve abuse they give to us. we don't deseb any of that. >> over 50,000 videos posted online with 50 million views. seven state as how gay marriage, don't ask, don't tell repealed, president endorsed marriage equality. >> every day it gets better. >> one of those videos you listened to, journalist, author, activist dan savage, its co-creator and written a new forward to author merle miller's classic 1971 coming out, that story on being different. thank you for being here. >> thank you for having me. >> we show a bit of you. you and your husband terry decided to post the first it gets better video. what has changed, has things gotten better? >> they have gotten better in

two years since the project launched. the observe administration moved on the repeal of don't and it's history. marriage equality has come to more states, it may come to three additional states. this november fingers crossed. a tremendous amount of progress. one of the things we do with video is provide that long view and perspective that some teenagers who were just coming out who are gay, lesbian, don't have because gay adults don't raise the next generation of gay kids a lot are unaware of the hoefr history in the progress it's made. >> the history of talking about it, you were during that march -- >> '87. >> it's so long ago, we're all getting old i guess. you mentioned the president and vice president. tonight we have the vice presidential debate. with the issue of lgbt issues in general, what question would you like to ask either of the two candidates? >> well, i think it's interesting that paul ryan said that if romney and ryan get

elected they're not doing anything about reinstating don't ask, don't tell, which contradict what romney said during the debates, the primary and the promises he made to the gop base. i would like to see them pressed on that. you know, lgbt people we tend to see progress under democratic administrations and not a lot of regress, sometimes benign, sames malicious neglect under republican administrations. >> finally, for you, what sort of message would you extend to lgbt youth. >> coming out is not the end it's better problems. when you first come out parents react negatively. it's important to have a backup plan, line up support. 40% of homeless teenagers are lgbt kids kicked out or thrown out after they came out. if you think your family might react negatively, have a place to go, have support, have friends who have offers you a couch. >> prepare. >> prepare.

don't just come out blindly. ask for your parents' love and support but have a plan, a backup plan. >> dan savage, thank you. thank you for your time. i'll see you back here tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. joining me then, brad woodhouse, joy-ann reid, chris kofinis and alice stewart. charlie wrangle, glenn kessler and melissa harris-perry. "now with alex wagner" is next. alex, what do you got coming up. >> gearing up for the great vice presidential debate. paul ryan will face off with scranton joe in a kentucky fried showdown. full vice squad preview with the panel and obama press secretary ben "the thunder" labolt. pole dancing. the latest horse race numbers with stu rothenburg when "now" starts in a near 180 seconds.

well, if it isn't mr. margin. mr. margin? don't be modest, bob. you found a better way to pack a bowling ball. that was ups. and who called ups? you did, bob. i just asked a question. it takes a long time to pack a bowling ball. the last guy pitched more ball packers. but you... you consulted ups. you found a better way. that's logistics. that's margin. find out what else ups knows. i'll do that. you're on a roll. that's funny. i wasn't being funny, bob. i know.

>> a cast of the characters is slated to take the stage tonight in danville, kentucky. a nerdy budget wonk, a delaware jae e scrapper, a graf prone firecracker. welcome to into the woods the vice presidential debate edition. it's thursday, october 11th and this is "now." joining me today, gop consultant and former executive director of the republican governor's association, phil musser, amie parnes white house correspondent at the hill, effortlessly elegant msnbc contributor jonathan capehart of "the washington post" is here, and msnbc political analyst and executive editor of msnbc.com richard wolffe.